In Visalia, California, a heat wave this week pushed thermometers into the triple digits.
Triple digits, you say?
Joe Kelly’s rehab campaign continues apace, with the right-hander chilling and thrilling the good people of the 40th-most populous city in California last night, dismantling their beloved Rawhide but—as is his custom—doing it with an artistry which made it impossible not to applaud. By the end of the inning, many in the crowd wore Dodgers jerseys. Were they wearing them already? Hard to say. Earlier, the attempted “Pouty Face Cam” on the jumbotron drew few frowns, likely because the in-ballpark promoter said, “None of us are happy that Joe Kelly is here,” and the good people of Visalia were happy Joe Kelly was there. He might not have been pitching for the Rawhide—Joe Kelly is a Quake, through and through—but what Californian wouldn’t want to see the state’s greatest icon perform his craft on a summer Friday night?
The performance itself:
- Still no velocity readings, which we expected. You could see it, though. You could see it in everybody’s faces.
- One walk, so he’s still himself.
- Angel Ortiz got another hit off of him. Feels like a foreshadow. When Joe Kelly retires, will this become an Angel Ortiz blog?
- One strikeout, which was fun.
- Another induced double play. What if Joe Kelly comes back from this IL stint as a double play merchant? Even more than he already is?
- The Quakes won 10–0. Pounded ‘em.
- I think we all fell a little bit in love with the city of Visalia.
What’s next for our guy? It’s doubtful he’ll pitch again tonight, so with two days off coming up, the most common theory in Joe Kelly academia right now is that he’ll pitch in Stockton on Tuesday night against the Ports. It’s taking everything in my power to not expound on Visalia being the gateway to Sequoia National Park. It’s going to be even harder to not go into detail about the dredging of the San Joaquin River.
We will, of course, monitor all announcements regarding our and your favorite relief pitcher. Whether in Stockton or on the moon, Joe Kelly’s next rehab appearance will be historic. We’d be fools to miss it.
